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Show large cooperatives, or private utilities could under- take the construction of new plants to meet future load growth. In such cases the output could be merged with that from present Federal power sources in a region-wide power pool. The result, however, would be a divided responsibility unlikely to provide the most economical operations or the most dependable service to the ultimate consumer. In relation to the present Federal utility respon- sibility in the valley it may be asked whether the Federal Government occupies the role of owner of the TVA power system, or if it is instead the banker supplying funds. The original concept embodied in the TVA Act of 1933 was the former-that of owner. By the Government Corporations Appro- priation Act of 1948,23 the Government now re- quires repayment in 40 years, indicating that it has assumed the rights of a banker in addition to those of an owner. The final vesting of ownership of the TVA electric power system should, therefore, be settled. After repayment has been completed, does it rightfully belong to the power consumers? The power consumers currently are paying for these properties through their monthly power bills, which include amortization charges. Or should it right- fully belong to the people of the valley, or does it remain Federal property? 3. Problems Created by the Use of Multiple- Purpose Projects for Flood Control and Power Generation The Problem Policies necessary to assure achievement of the planned degree of flood control, and the greatest amount of power generation consistent therewith in the operation of multiple-purpose storage reservoirs. The Situation Part of th_e storage in TVA reservoirs is designed to be used j ointly for flood control and for power production, rather than for flood control alone as may be necessary in other areas. This method of operation is feasible in the Tennessee Basin as a whole because the largest valley-wide floods are con- fined to a period in winter and spring beginning in the latter p-art of December and ending late in March or ea_rly in April. Storage space is reserved for flood control during this season. After this period, it is no longer necessary to keep drawing 28 Act of JuMy 30, 1947, 61 Stat. 574. down the reservoirs to the upper limit of conserva- tion storage. Surplus water is not spilled, but accumulated for later use to generate power during the summer and fall low-water period. The cycle is completed, and by January 1 the reservoirs are again down to flood control levels. This is the general method of operating TVA reservoirs. However, West Indian hurricane storms in summer sometimes bring heavy rains to limited headwater areas lying west of the Blue Ridge in the southeastern portion of the Tennessee Basin. Accordingly, in this area ample storage space at the top of the reservoir, notably South Hol- ston and Watauga, is reserved the year around for flood control. The upper French Broad River Basin is also subject to these intense summer storms, but there the drainage areas are so small and heads are so low that power generation is not economically justified. Hence, the entire storage volume of reser- voirs proposed for this area would be devoted to flood control. Under ordinary flow conditions they would remain empty. Where the same storage volume is used for both flood control and power, the former must have priority during flood seasons. To maintain the flood control reservation through the season of heavy runoff, water must be spilled that could be utilized for power generation during the following low-water period; if excess water is retained in the reservoir during the flood season and the flood storage space thus substantially reduced, disaster can result in areas that are presumed to be pro- tected. Observance of the flood control restrictions on the TVA system reduces the amount of primary hydroelectric power that could be produced by ap- proximately 160,000 continuous kilowatts. This is about 10 percent of the present average annual generation. Power produces direct revenues; flood control does not. Safeguards to give flood control priority even at the sacrifice of immediate financial advan- tage therefore must be rooted firmly in law and ad- ministrative arrangements. On the TVA system these safeguards are established and maintained in two ways. (1) By statutory provisions: The TVA Act pro- vides that dams and reservoirs in the possession and control of TVA shall be operated to regulate the stream flow primarily for the purposes of promoting navigation and controlling floods; and so far as may be consistent with such purposes, to install and operate facilities for the generation of electric power. 768 |
